


In the Meadow

by RandomnonsenseDA (B1nary_S0lo)



Series: Rora Surana [12]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dragon Age Quest: Alistair's Family, F/M, First Kiss, Hardened Alistair (Dragon Age), Post companion quest, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 05:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15308355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B1nary_S0lo/pseuds/RandomnonsenseDA
Summary: Alistair and Rora have a talk a few days after the Goldanna incident. And do more than talk.





	In the Meadow

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a prompt fill. Prompt was "Alistair plucking petals from a daisy." I've made some significant edits to this version, though.

Alistair sat in a meadow not too far from the party’s camp, plucking petals from a daisy. He pulled off a petal, dropped it, and thought of his sister’s scowling face. He pulled off another, dropped it, and saw Rora after they’d left the house, fists balled and near tears. He plucked the last petal, let the breeze take it, and dropped the stem. He reached for another flower.

“If you keep that up, there won’t be any flowers left.”

He looked up. He hadn’t even heard Rora approach.

“And I thought I was being so sneaky," he said.

She flopped, inelegantly, onto the grass in front of him.

“Maybe I’m sneakier."

“Rats. Didn’t think of that.” He sighed dramatically, but didn’t try to hide his grin. “Well. You're here now. Might as well stay."

“I suppose so.” She smiled at him and brushed her short, brown hair out of her face. Alistair wanted to reach out and do it for her but he stopped himself, worried about her reaction. After all, they hadn't even kissed yet. They'd barely even held hands.

“So,” she said, “how are you holding up?”

She picked at the grass with delicate fingers. Alistair would have teased her for hypocrisy, if her dark brows weren't furrowed in that way that always cut right to his heart.

“I’m doing better,” he said. “Honestly.”

“You know it's okay if you're not, though, right?” she said. Her cheeks went red. “What that woman said to you was awful.” She hesitated. “ _I_ was awful.”

“You weren’t."

“I was harsh. I should have been more levelheaded.”

“You don’t have to be levelheaded all the time,” he said. “Rora, you got angry on  _my_  behalf. No one’s done that for me in years. And what you said… I think it was what I needed to hear.”

The grass and flowers rustled in the breeze, unusually warm for June. Alistair turned a new daisy over in his hands. In his mind he saw Rora back in Denerim, tears in her eyes.

 _The world’s a cruel place,_  she had said through her tears.  _I’m sorry, Alistair, but it is._

He winced at little at the memory, but it wasn’t painful. It was bracing, like jumping into a cold lake on a hot day. He plucked a petal.

“It’s true,” he said slowly. “I’m too trusting sometimes. I assume things will work out if I just let other people make the decisions." He squeezed the flower in his fist. "I know that's been hard on you."

She shook her head.

"It has, though," he said. "And... I’ve decided I need to change. If I don't start taking the initiative, I’m going to keep hurting people. _And_ keep being disappointed.”

Rora looked at the ground for a moment, thoughtful. She picked at the grass again.

"Have I disappointed you?"

"No, not at all," he said, waving his hands. "You're wonderful. But you shouldn't have to do everything, right?"

He nudged her with his elbow. Slowly, the side of her mouth quirked into a smile.

"I understand." She tossed her hair out of her face again so she could look at him. "If that's what you want, I think it's wonderful."

"Well, you inspired the idea."

"I'm glad your were inspired and not, I don't know, emotionally devastated."

"Only devastated by, oh, everything else about you."

Rora turned a vibrant shade of red, but laughed again. Alistair was sure he must look similarly, and decided to let his comment pass. He made to pluck another petal from the daisy, but before he could he felt her hand on the back of his, stopping him. The flower fell from his hand and he turned to meet her eyes, so long lashed and deep brown and distracting.

“I'm glad you're trying to improve yourself," she said. "But just so you know, I'll like you no matter what."

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words died as he drank her in. The wind had blown another strand of hair across her face, right between her eyes and over her rosebud mouth. Her mouth. Her lips. Alistair had a sudden urge to lick his own.

His face got even hotter, if that was possible. In the past he would have blushed and looked away after such a thought, but he didn’t want to today. He couldn’t.

He closed his hand around hers, lacing their fingers. Slowly, carefully, he reached with his other hand to brush the lock of hair away from her eyes.

Rora took a small breath in, as if surprised. His hand lingered on her face, thumb tracing her smooth cheek and fingers tangling in her hair, so soft. Already close, she shifted even nearer so their faces were inches apart. She squeezed his hand, and he knew. Now was the time. Now was the time. Don’t hesitate.

He leaned in, remembered at the very last second to tilt his head. His lips found hers.

She breathed in and her lips parted, just slightly. For one second, two seconds, they only held the kiss. Were you meant to move, during a kiss? How were either of them supposed to know, when they’d never done it before? But either way, it was wonderful. Warm all over, dizzying, soft and breathy.

Another second and he pulled back, eyes opening to study her face. As the fogginess faded his mind started to go into a kind of euphoric panic. He'd kissed someone for the first time. _They'd_ kissed someone for the first time. He'd kissed Rora. She'd kissed _him._

“Was that…” He swallowed, trying to focus through the screaming in his head. “Was that too soon?”

Rora shook her head. Her face was so close to his that her hair tickled his face.

“I think it was... well timed.” Her voice was faint, but she smiled. “But, I think we need more testing. To really be sure.”

His heart did a series of somersaults.

“I think..." He cleared his throat. “I think I can arrange that.”

They both leaned in again.


End file.
